Route of ascent and descent: First visit: Ascended from Grasmere, via Sour Milk Gill and the east ridge. Left on the ridge to Sergeant Man.

Second visit: Reversed most of this, although the final descent to Grasmere was via Far Easdale rather than Sour Milk Gill.

What Mr Wainwright says (from page 5 of his chapter): “Tarn Crag is not often climbed, and it is not a place to visit in bad weather. It is not blessed with paths, but an intermittent track follows the natural line of ascent, the east ridge. As the summit is approached it assumes a formidable appearance but is easily reached by a grassy rake.”

What I say: Without ever being spectacular Tarn Crag is an interesting climb. The summit is a neat little tor of rock, sharp and attractive. The views are good, both of Grasmere in retrospect (smothered in mist on the first day that I went up) and of its own crags, particularly the vertical face of Deer Bield Crag. On its western side, however, it becomes something of a confusing moorland, and this fact, plus the steep crags on both flanks, is the reason why Wainwright says it should be avoided in bad weather.

Easdale Tarn, Tarn Crag, and a couple of swimmers

Note: There is another Tarn Crag, in the Far Eastern Fells, which can be referred to as Tarn Crag (Longsleddale). The one being discussed here is clearly named after Easdale Tarn; it is hard to see which body of water has given its name to the other Tarn Crag, however.

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[…] revisit a trio of summits that horseshoe around the valley of Easdale: Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man and Tarn Crag. Not the most dramatic walk perhaps but a very interesting one, with plenty to see, including my […]